An information resource provided by Play Therapy International and Play Therapy UK - the foremost international organisation for play therapy, therapeutic play, filial play and university accredited courses

It is also validated at venues in the UK for academic
standards by the Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University as part
of the MA in Practice based Play Therapy programme run in a collaborative
partnership with APAC. At venues in the
Republic of Ireland it is validated by and run in a partnership with the
National University of Ireland.

The
Diploma course is the second part of a programme leading to an MA in
Practise Based Play Therapy. It is at stage 3 of the
PTUK four stage training model

AN ENLIGHTENED APPROACH TO COPING WITH CHILDREN’S
DIFFICULTIES

The course is unique in integrating both non directive and
directive approaches to play therapy. The programme content is based upon the
theory and practice of humanistic psychology, particularly that of Virginia
Axline ("Dibs In Search of Self"), and Carl Rogers and the gestalt
play therapy approach of Violet Oaklander.
It recognises contributions made by others in the 20th century such as
John Bowlby, Margaret Lowenfeld, Donald Winnicott, Rachel Pinney etc. It also
places importance on the spiritual aspect of human development. Opportunities
for meditation and all forms of creativity will enrich the contents of the
course.

The course is
experiential in nature and will be specifically rooted in non- directive play
therapy.

AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO PLAY THERAPY - Children and their
environment

As
in the Certificate course material for the Diploma builds upon the theory and
practice of humanistic psychology, particularly that of Virginia Axline (Dibs
In Search of Self) and Carl Rogers and gestalt play therapy developed by Violet
Oaklander. It recognises contributions made by others in the early 1900s, such
as John Bowlby, Margaret Lowenfeld, Donald Winnicott, Rachel Pinney etc. It
extends to a deeper understanding of the unconscious processes in relation to
the child’s development based upon Freud, Jung, Graff, Fairburn Hillman, Moore
and Jacobson. It also places importance on the spiritual aspect of human
development. Opportunities for many forms of creativity will enrich the
contents of the course.

You
will be exploring ways of integrating the child as the centre of a social
system, which includes schools, families, and team of support.

The
main items in the Play Therapy Tool-Kit covered in the Certificate in Therapeutic
Play Skills are re-visited at a greater level of competence and converted into
skills to be used with therapeutic groups. You will also learn how to deal with
more difficult problems and using the PDM as an assessment tool.

The overall purpose is to enable participants to practice
safely and effectively using therapeutic play skills in a variety of settings
to provide emotional support to ﻿children for slight to severe problems. Upon successful completion of the course each participant will have
gained:

The competencies to work with all children
(individual and group) of with all problems where Play therapy is suitable and
with children and young people with mild to severe problems

To make assessments incorporating the PDM

A sound understanding of the principles underlying
play therapy and the appropriate use of techniques

The competencies required for running play therapy
sessions with groups of children as well as individuals

An ability to assess children's needs and set up a
play therapy services unit

An ability to make decisions taking into account
the ethical issues concerning all parties involved

Increased confidence in using play therapy with
children and adolescents and communications with referrers, parents and
guardians

The counselling, therapeutic and practical skills
to carry out effective play therapy

Awareness of your own process and development

A comprehensive theoretical knowledge of child
development and child psychology

The
course is divided into 5 modules some of which will gain a CPD certificate in
its own right for the skills learnt as above.

Participants
will learn through working with other members of the course about the roles and
responsibilities of the therapeutic relationship. There will be tutorials on
theory but formal teaching and lecturing will be kept to an essential minimum.

Learning
will be experiential and collaborative using pair, group work, role-play and
case presentations. Homework reading and other assignments will provide new
information and consolidation of material from the experiential work
encountered within the weekends. Assignments will be subject of group
discussions the following weekend.

It is essential that participants
are working with children whilst the course is in progress. 100
supervised hours need to be completed before the Diploma can be awarded.
Group clinical supervision of this work is a primary learning method. The
situations and problems that you encounter in real life outside the classroom
together with their solutions are an essential part of the learning process.

The additional registration fee shown above is to register
with the University for this course as a part of the MA in Practise Based Play
Therapy programme. There will be additional University registration fees if you
subsequently proceed to the Diploma and MA stages.